02 July 2019

50 years of Stonewall: the roots of gay pride

Street battles between the police and homosexuals gathered at the Stonewall Inn gay bar in Christopher Street, New York, at the end of June 1969 are seen as marking the birth of the international LGBTQ movement. Commentators ask what is driving people onto the streets on the 50th anniversary of the riots.

Movement still as relevant as ever

There are still plenty of reasons for the Gay Pride demo to take place, La Vanguardia stresses on the anniversary of the Stonewall riots:

“Since then society's perception of homosexuality has changed a lot, always in the direction of a greater understanding. Already during the times of Zapatero [during whose time in office same-sex marriage was approved in 2005] 66 percent of the Spanish were in favour of gay marriage. But this couldn't prevent the reappearance of homophobic movements, now represented in Spain by the far-right party Vox, which has proposed suspending the laws that guarantee gay rights. Nor has it ended the cases of unacceptable aggression against gays. These are sufficient motive for this movement to continue demonstrating for its rights.”

The privileged don't need pride

After a parade for heterosexuals was announced on social media as a counter-demonstration to the Christopher Street Day celebrations in Lisbon Sábado feels obliged to explain what it means to be privileged:

“The word 'Pride' in the Gay Pride parade celebrates the Stonewall riots. Heterosexuals and homosexuals alike should be proud of the people who had the courage to say: 'Enough!'. Inform yourselves and then reflect on how offensive it is to counter this with heterosexual pride. ... What defines a good privileged person and a good person is the ability to perceive their own privilege and feel the desire - we are talking about fundamental rights here - to see it extended to everyone else.”